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Public Servants Lead Charge Back To Expensive Travel

June 26, 2009 at 3:36 PM | 0 Comments

This week we were treated to the riveting story of South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, who used state funds to meet his lady-love journalist in Buenos Aires. Sanford told his staff he was on a much more modest jaunt to the Appalachian Trail, which indicates that maybe he had a shred of shame about the whole business, but in the end, he said, "Well, it's not like I have any presidential ambitions, right?" Last year's luv guv Eliot Spitzer opted for the more budget-friendly train tickets and D.C. hotel accommodations, but those were different times.

Sanford's not the only one who feels the world has turned around enough to allow for gleeful spoiling at taxpayer expense: The Detroit Free Press reported that the trustees of the city pension fund spent $380,000 on travel last year, and then tried to cover it up when the paper sued for records. With 21 trustees, that's an average of $18,095 per person, although one trustee, Ronald Gracia, spent $105,000 of it alone, including an $18,600 trip to Hong Kong.

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Cruisers, Fido The Only Ones Traveling With Confidence

June 19, 2009 at 1:28 PM | 0 Comments

The launch of Pet Airways proves that pet lovers know no downturn in taking care of their furry friends, but even when they leave them behind, they do so in style: A post on the L.A. Times' "California Consumer" blog predicts that based on last year's numbers, Americans will spend more than ever boarding their pets when they're on vacation. That's right, they're still going on vacation for long enough that they can board their pets! While the foreclosed have no homes, pampered pets have two.

So where are all these creature comfort providers going? On Carnival cruises, it seems! The world's biggest cruise company won the second-quarter earnings report by posting a smaller than expected sales loss for the quarter that included the swine-flu scare.

Despite a minor outbreak of H1N1 on one of its South Pacific routes last month, Carnival managed to keep occupancy up by discounting tickets while reaping the advantages of lower fuel costs over last year.

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Bankrupt Car Company Offers Luxury SUV

June 12, 2009 at 1:42 PM | 0 Comments

Hey, you know, this economic downturn, we can beat this! All we need is a smile and a $45,000 luxury car for our next road trip! Such must be the thinking behind Chrysler's decision to debut a luxury Grand Jeep Cherokee for its 2011 line, despite being bankrupt two years before its debut.

Built on Mercedes M-Class bones, the 2011 Grand Cherokee is a gas guzzler of the classic model with heated rear seats, auto-dimming headlights and a built-in back-seat tray so your upholstery doesn't get dirty. Since we know gas prices will never go up again, it's an SUV bargain! At least when R. Kelly sings "You remind me of my Jeep" from here on out, you can insist on a particular model.

Chrysler filed for a quickie bankruptcy in April; a proposed merger with Fiat is currently being fought by dealers nationwide who face forced closings under the new agreement.

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Get A Free Car In France (With Purchase Of House)

May 6, 2009 at 4:12 PM | 0 Comments

Now here's a way to really dig it in that you are a have and not a have-not in today's shaky economy: Show off your brand-new house and your brand-new car! Then hope no one decides to egg either when you head home to your new domain in France.

An eco-friendly home builder has started to offer a free electric Tesla Roadster with purchase of a green home in a luxury development outside Paris. The name of the "Welcome to France" company suggests this offer will be attractive to foreigners who want to get the whole expat package in one go, complete with resentment among the French people who live near you or see you zipping around, and it is. They even threw in a golf course and helipad!

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Private Jet Companies Attempt To Justify Their Existence

April 24, 2009 at 12:11 PM | 0 Comments

Sweet ride! Advertising blog Copyranter just posted a gallery of private-jet advertisements pulled from a recent issue of Forbes. How dare they flaunt their wares in this climate? They don't deserve to advertise.

But seriously, it's funny how the ads attempt to appeal to current concerns about the economy while at the same time selling a product far out of the range of most travelers.

Dassault Falcon stresses the efficiency of its planes; FlexJet urges buyers to make a "true assessment" of the costs involved in traveling commercial (including driving and terminal time), asserting that a private jet does not say to observers, "I'm a well-heeled jet-setter who spends money frivolously." One might think they would have done better not to enter that line into their copy.

And Beechcraft even mentions the most famous recent private-jet-takers, the auto-company CEOs who took the flight of shame to Washington D.C. in December.

But our favorite has got to be Cessna's, which appeals to the ego by inferring that owning a private jet can make you stronger and more threatening to competitors (the peacock defense?).

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Spend Your Way Out Of Guilt!

April 17, 2009 at 2:41 PM | 0 Comments

Everyone knows the recession is causing people all over the world to, if not cut back on their spending, at least cut back on the appearance on spending. (This will later be known as "Sachsing," after Goldman Sachs' decision to move a Las Vegas technology conference to San Francisco to avoid criticism about misusing bailout money -- as opposed to Aiging, which involves spending as much as possible publicly while hoping no one will notice.) But only one news outlet has the cojones to suggest you spend your way out of guilt about traveling when other people can't afford to do so.

If the New York Times is so up on volunteer vacations, why do they tout the most expensive, extravagant ones first in a recent article on them?

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Economy Not Slowing Down Coachella (But Tix Still Available)

April 14, 2009 at 9:06 AM | 0 Comments

If you thought the economic doldrums meant you'd have more elbow room at this weekend's pricey Coachella Music Festival, think again.

While some smaller music festivals have had to throw in the towel this year, giant events like Coachella appear to be doing just fine, thank you very much. Organizers report the 10th annual desert party is selling "almost neck and neck with last year," and is expected to draw somewhere between 135,000 and 150,000 music lovers.

At the moment, 3-day passes ($269) as well as individual tickets for each day ($99) are all still available. The Killers and The Cure headline with a special appearance by Leonard Cohen and Paul McCartney's first stateside festival concert ever.

Related Stories:
· Festival producers optimistic despite recession [Reuters]
· Coachella [Official Site]
· Coachella Offers Big Bands But With a Bigger Price Tag [Jaunted]

[Photo: Coachella]

These Rocking Chairs Now Worth $250 More

April 10, 2009 at 4:01 PM | 0 Comments

"Easy to get to, hard to leave," boasts the website for Blackberry Farm, a picturesque retreat in the Great Smoky Mountains.

According to MSNBC, "agritourism" is on the rise this year as travelers sweetly yearn to get back to the land. Not many farmers' kids we know grew up tooling around on the backroads in a Lexus GX SUV (available for rental on-property!) or getting four-handed massages inspired by the Cherokee, but at least Blackberry is a working farm producing artisan cheeses, fruit, cured meats and preserves.

And then we noticed something funny: Back in 2007 our sister site HotelChatter noticed how heavily acclaimed Blackberry Farm was, noting the tasteful decor and delicious dishes.

The farm has since added 12 guest rooms -- and most shockingly, over $200 to its daily rates for the most modest accommodations. No time like the present to urge people to get back to nature at a ridiculously inflated price!

Want to get back to nature on a budget? You may have to forgo award-winning fly-fishing and the spa, but volunteer vacations like those offered by organic farms through WWOOF offer the chance to get your hands dirty and a little relaxation time, too.

Related Stories:
· Living The Luxe Life Down On The Farm [MSNBC]
· 2007: Luxury in the Middle of Nowhere: Blackberry Farm [HC]
· Volunteer Travel: It's A WWOOFer's World [Jaunted]

[Photo: markalbert]

Pets To Get Their Own Airline This Summer

April 6, 2009 at 9:41 AM | 1 Comment

Next time you go away on vacation, you may want to think twice about leaving Fido at home. Previously, bringing your puppy or kitty along wasn’t the best idea, as the cargo hold under your seat isn’t the most comfortable or safe place for pet travel. Not to mention that flying your pet somewhere just adds another fee to your already pricey ticket. However, your furry friends may soon have an airline to call their own.

Pet Airways, "The First Airline with Four Leg Room" is looking to take-off as the first airline exclusively dedicated to pets, and wants to make sure animals travel safely towards their final destination. All the “pawsengers”—their words not ours—will travel in the main cabin of the plane, and will be checked every 15 minutes to make sure they are doing well and that their crates are secure. Fares look to start around $150, but it's not totally clear how far you'll get for that price.

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Personal Butlers Still Working For You On the High Seas

March 25, 2009 at 2:17 PM | 0 Comments

Personal Butler. That's almost a dirty phrase nowadays. But SilverSea Cruises is not concerned about that. The cruise line has just announced that it will shortly feature butlers for all types of guests accommodations on all of its ships.

According to Christian Sauleau, executive vice president of fleet operations for Silversea:

Each butler, assisted by a suite attendant, is empowered to troubleshoot problems and provide special service touches, if desired by the guest -- for example unpacking and packing clothing, facilitating a dry cleaning request or preparing a scented Jacuzzi bath -- ultimately creating a suite environment where one can relax and feel totally cared for.

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True Life: I'm At A Spa On Long Island

March 20, 2009 at 3:41 PM | 1 Comment

It takes a little chutzpah to open a spa in an economy like this. Naturally in any climate developers would look for the perfect place to develop that dream getaway, without anything that might make a potential customer blanch. But like a foaming hot tub pool, we're not quite ready to get into the Allegria Hotel and Spa just yet.

On paper, the Allegria looks like a perfect plan: A luxury hotel in a mostly condos-only strip, with big plans for LEED certification. But we can't get over that the hotel used to be a nursing home -- as in two years ago. (Then it had 170 rooms; now it only has 143.) Gut reno or no, paying $199/night or more for Grandma's old place, with the added bonus of being nowhere in particular, gives us the shakes. At least at the Spa Castle the old people get to play along.

Related Stories:
· November 2007: Long Beach's New Welcome Mat [NY Times]
· Allegria Hotel and Spa: LEED on the Ocean in Long Beach [Green Buildings NYC]
· Los Angeles Spas Celebrate Detoxification, Ogling [Jaunted]

[Photo: Small Luxury Hotels of the World]

Take A Helicopter To Your Luxury Tour

March 19, 2009 at 3:49 PM | 0 Comments

Apparently, there are people out there whose time is worth more than money, where by "money," we mean "fantastic amounts of." It's not enough that you can pre-board that flight; you also have to board first for maximum lollage and/or free beverage consumption. And it's not enough that you take a luxury cruise, you need to be taken to it personally by helicopter.

Halong Bay, Vietnam isn't out of reach for the ordinary traveler -- our own embedded guide reported that the only difference between her cruise and the first-class variety of same was the shrimp cocktail. Nor would we expect second-class treatment from a tour operator called Luxury Travel Vietnam. But after coughing up $745 for a three-day cruise, do they honestly expect anyone to put down $604 in order to travel by helicopter to and from Halong?

The one thing we'll say about all this competing transportation is that it might make an awesome setpiece for a Bond movie. Can the on-the-ground agents stop the helicopter with the nefarious evil conglomerate heads from landing? (Note to self: save money for punch-ups.)

Related Stories:
· Indochina Sails Junk Cruise [Luxury Travel Vietnam]
· Vietnam by Train: Cruising Halong Bay [Jaunted]
· Vietnam coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: doopits]